Fastening device.



J. B. FESLER,

FASTENING DEVICE- APPLICATIQN FILED JULYQ. 1915.

Patented July 11, 1916.

JOEL BARLOW FESLER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FASTENING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 1LT, 1916.

Original application filed August 8, 1914, Serial No. 855,743. Divided and this application filed July 9,

1915. Serial No. 38,911. i

and a resident of Richmond Hill, borough of Queens, county of Queens, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fastening Devices, of which the following is a spec1fication.

My invention relates to fastening devices of the general nature of automatic lacing devices, and is applicable to various garments, including skirts, corsets, shoes, gloves, andalso to various other articles which are to be held together, or which comprise portions to be drawn together.

My invention consists in the novel construction of the device as hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The object of my invention is'to improve the construction of lacing or fastening de vices such as referred to, and to make the same easy of construction and easy of operation, and freefrom liability to derangement. 7

I will now proceed to describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, and will then point out the novel features in claims.

Figure 1 shows an elevation of two pieces of fabric (for example, two sides of a skirt, or glove, or shoe top, or the like) with my improved fastening device applied thereto, and adapted to draw the same together, or, at will, to permit the separation thereof, the top plate of the threading device having been removed. Fig. 2 shows a front elevation of the threading device, with its top plate removed. Fig. 3 shows a transverse section of the threading device on the line a2-m of Fig. 2, looking down, and Fig. 4: shows a transverse section of the threading device on the line yy of Fig. 2, looking up. Fig." 5 shows a top view of the threading device. Fig. 6 shows a transverse section of one of the eyelets and its attached piece of fabric, and Fig. 7 shows a perspective elevation of one of'the eyelets and a portion of the bead-edged tape or braid to which the same is secured.

My improved fastening device comprises two rows of slotted eyelets, such rows adapted for connection to the edges of the articles or edges to be united or drawn together, the

eyelets of one row adapted to fit between the eyelets of the opposite row, with slight clearance for flexibility, and a threading member adapted to engage successively the eyelets of the said two rows, and to draw them together, such threading member provided usually with a flexible uniting device,

' generally having the form of a flexible cord,

which is drawn through the eyelets of the two rows assuch threading device succes- 'sively engages the eyelets of said two rows.

In the drawings, numerals 1-1 designate the eyelets of one row, and 22- designate the eyelets of the other row, the eyelets of each row being connected at suitably spaced intervals to adjacent edges of the articles to be drawn together. In theconstruction shown, the rows of eyelets -1 and 2 are connected to strips of tape or braid or similar flexible material 3, themselves connected to the edges of-the articles to be drawn together. As indicated particularly in Figs. 6 and 7, the eyelets 1 and 2 are not complete eyelets, but have in their outer faces slots 5 adapted to receive certain portions of the threading device, as hereinafter described. 6 designates thesaid threading device, comprising an approximately triangular or wedge-shaped member having guide flanges 77 on each of its sides, adapted to embrace the eyelets 1. and 2, and to guide the same. The said threading device 6 is also provided at its lower or smaller end with a stem 12 to which isattached the flexible connecting member 13 (usually a cord) before mentioned; this stem 12 having between it and the point at the lower end of the member 6, intersecting grooves 10 and 11 which form, in effect, a continuation of one side of the member 6; which grooves 10 and 11 permit .the edges 9 of the eyelets to pass from the pointed lower end of the member 6 over the thin portion 8 of the stem 12 into engagement with the main portion of that stem 12.

The operation of the device will be obvious from Fig. 1. In connecting the two members 1-4, the threading device 6 is drawn upward (as the parts are shown in that figure), and as such threading device is drawn upward, the eyelets 1 and 2 enter successively the spaces between the guide flanges 77 of said member 6, and travel through the space inclosed by such guide flanges, each eyelet of-series 2 passing over the contracted portion 8 of the stem 12, and through the groove 11 of that stem 'so as to intervene between two eyelets of the series 1, one of which eyelets of the series 1 will already have passed over the contracted portion 8 of the stem 12 and through groove 10 of that stem onto the main portion of that stem 12. The edges 9 of the eyelets pass the crossing of the grooves 10 and 11, just as the flanges of car wheels pass through thegrooves of track crossings. As

the onward motion of the threading device I 6 continues, the eyelets pass over the stem a the eyelets 1 and 2 into the spaces inclosed .12 onto the cord. 13, which holds the eyelets of the two series together, while per mitting free bending of the seam formed by the united eyelets. By a reverse operation the members 44 may be detached one from another, the threading member 6 being drawn downward (by pulling upon the exposed end of the cord 13) the eyelets of the series 1 and 2 traveling over the guides 10 and 11, respectively, and separating.

It will be clear that it is immaterial whether the threading device 6 be arranged to draw the fabric pieces 4-4 together by a downward motion or by an upward motion. Obviously the member 6 may be connected to the members 44 in a reverse sense, so as todraw the members 44 together by upward movement, and to separate such members by a downward movement.

The guide flanges 77 are flared outthreading device 1 6, as indicated particularly in Fig. 5, to facilitatethe passage of by such guide flanges 7.

prior application Serial No. 855,743, filed August 8, 1914.

What I claim is:

1. A fastening device such as described comprising a plurality of rows of opensided eyelets adapted to be drawn into approximate registry with the eyelets of one row alternated with the eyelets of the opposite row, in combination with a threading. device having a stem adapted to pass through such eyelets, and ha guide means adapted to engage said eye ets exteriorly and thereby to guide such eyelets convergently over such stem, or divergently away from such stem, according to the direction of motion of such threading device with reference to the two rows of eyelets.

2. A fastening device such as described comprising a plurality of rows of opensided eyelets adapted to be drawn into approximate regist with the eyelets of one row alternated w1th the eyelets of the opposite row, in combination with a threading device having a stem ada ted to pass through such eyelets, and havlng laterally This application is a division of myextending guide flanges adapted to engage such eyelets exteriorly and thereby to guide such eyelets convergently over such stem, or divergently away from such stem, according to the direction of motion of such threading device with reference to the two rows of eyelets.

3. A fastening device such as described comprising a plurality of rows of open-sided eyelets adapted to be drawn into approximate registry with the eyelets of one row alternated with the eyelets of the opposite row, in combination with a threading device having a stem adapted to pass through such eyelets, and having guide means adapted to engage said eyelets exteriorly and thereby to guide such eyelets convergently over suchthe eyelets into the spaces inclosed by such guiding means.

4. A fastening device such as described comprising a plurality of rows of open-sided eyelets adapted to be drawn into approximate registry with the eyelets of one row alternated with the eyelets of the opposite row, in combination with a threading device having a stem adapted to pass through such eyelets, and having laterally extending guide flanges adapted to engage such eyelets exteriorly and thereby to guide such eyelets convergently over such stem, or divergently away from such stem, according to the direction of motion of such threading device with reference to the two rows of eyelets, said guide flanges flaring outwardly at the upper or larger end of the threading device, to facilitate the passage of the. eyelets into the spaces inclosed by such guide flanges.

5. A threading device for fastening devices such as described, comprising a wedgeshaped member having a stem at its smaller end, and having laterally projecting guiding means inclosing guide passages adapted to receive eyelets and to guide the same toward or from such stem.

6. A threading device for fastening devices such as described, comprising a wedgeshaped member having a stem at 1ts smaller end, and having laterally projecting guiding flanges inclosing guide passages adapted to receive eyelets and to'gulde the same toward or from such stem, such flanges flaring outwardly at the upper 'or larger end of the device. v

7. A threading device for fastening devices such as described, comprising a wedgeshaped member having laterally projecting guiding flanges inclosing spaces forming guide channels for eyelets, and having a stem projecting from its smaller end.

8. A threading device for fastening devices such as described, comprising a wedgeshaped member having at its sides guidemeans inclosing spaces adapted to form guide-channels, and having a stem projectmg from its smaller end,. such stem provided with intersecting grooves forming substantially continuations of said guide-passages.

9. A threading device for fastening devices such as described, comprising a wedgeshaped member having laterally projecting guiding means forming two convergent guide passages adapted to receive eyelets of two series and to bring such eyelets into alternation in one row or, to separate eyelets of two series alternated in one row, into two separate divergent rows, according to the direction of motion of such threading device.

In testimony whereofI have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

J OEL HARLOW FESLER. Witnesses:

H. M. MARBLE,

PAUL H. FRANKE. 

